I have a 2500 Siverado, ext.cab, long bed. Probably going to start with quite a few residentual driveways, but will also have some medium size condo drives also. Hopefully going to get bigger during the next year or two.
My first question is: I my truck going to be a pain to plow with since it is a ext cab long bed? Also, will the 810 plow be easier on residential drives or not (as in backdragging)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks.
I plow mostly residential driveways with an ext-cab longbed dually. It's big, I've only had a couple little driveways that suck to do. Probably not going to take them again this year, unless I get a plow for my Jeep. For most driveways it's not bad at all. The long wheelbase is manageable. Obviously not as maneuverable as a short wheelbase, but you can't buy a short wheelbase truck with a beefy drivetrain, so when it come time for a trade-off, I'll take the beefy drivetrain any day.
I know plenty of people get away with using Blazers and Broncos and mini trucks, but I like having the big axles and stuff under it. My Jeep will only be used for cleanups and backup. Ideally a Blazer with 1 ton axles would make a sick plowtruck, but you have to build it yourself. And if you were going to build it yourself, put a pickup cab on the Blazer frame, then have a little flatbed for carrying ballast or a small sander.
Whatever, just crank your t-bars 4-5 turns because that 810 is heavy (I'm assuming you have t-bars, since you called it a 2500 not a K20). And run 500 to 1000 lbs of ballast behind the rear wheels. The longer wheelbase is more of a lever, so ballast is more important to keep the rear wheels down and the front end up some. If I hang my 810 off the front, in addition to the heavy diesel engine, and no ballast, I'm lucky if my rear wheels are even touching. But I load up with mix and get the rear suspension where it's happy and I rarely need 4wd.
Oh yeah, my Blizzard backdrags very well. It ought to, it weighs a half a ton.
I have an 03' 2500HD/ crew cab,short bed,durmax diesel and last year I found someone in peabody MA that will install one on my truck. I took alot of phone calls. I would have to sell my truck if I wanted a BOSS plow. NOBODY, would put it on.
I am putting an 810 on my 07 Dually W/Duramax. If you need to, install some Timbrins, and don't drive like a miniac with the plow on and while plowing.
As of this year any Dealership that installs a plow on a truck that would cause that truck to EXCEED its GVWR which the 810 does on a 2500 or 2500HD and is caught doing so, basically they'd lose their business. Sure somebody can put one on in their garage, but say you get in an accident with the plow on. One of the first things they (police) will do is take the model of your plow and then look inside for your GVWR. I know someone that this happened to, not only did he get a very large fine, his commercial insurance company dropped him. If I was you, I'd stay as far away from putting that plow on that truck as you can.
ok, well I just went to the power match at Blizzards web site and they showed that the 810 is ok for my truck since it has a 4800 FGAWR and 9200 rear. My dealer said it is ok also. Is there something I do not know here. Thanks for the replies.
P.S. My truck is a 2500HD. I didnt show the HD in my first post if that makes a difference.
As of this year any Dealership that installs a plow on a truck that would cause that truck to EXCEED its GVWR which the 810 does on a 2500 or 2500HD and is caught doing so, basically they'd lose their business. Sure somebody can put one on in their garage, but say you get in an accident with the plow on. One of the first things they (police) will do is take the model of your plow and then look inside for your GVWR. I know someone that this happened to, not only did he get a very large fine, his commercial insurance company dropped him. If I was you, I'd stay as far away from putting that plow on that truck as you can.
I doubt that too many cops know the meaning of GVWR, let alone where to find it. I have been to literally thousands of car accidents, and I have been involved in forensic analysis of a couple of pickups involved in fatals. I actually participated in one two years ago that involved a Dodge with a Blizzard straight blade on it, at no point did the state police dmv TAR team cops question whether the 1500 should be carrying the blade. They just looked to see if the truck had any suspension or brake component failures that could have contributed to the accident. Perhaps an 8611 on a Ford Ranger would have drawn attention, but nobody looks too close at the plow. If no fatality no state cops are looking close. Any snowstorm accident is rushed just to open the road and get to the next crash. I've worked a lot of snowstorm accidents and know what I am talking about.
Theoretically you could be in trouble for having a plow that was not given the blessing for your truck by the manufacturer, but believe me it isn't likely. The problems lie in the crewcabs and diesels that due to their weight and configuration there is not as much available front axle weight left. But it is just a legal ass-covering by the manufacturer and dealers, if you exceed your fagvw by a hundred pounds no one will know and it won't hurt the truck. Look at all the trucks that tow or carry payload far beyond what is recommended. Plus now that it's a selling war for 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, all of a sudden the numbers have jumped and they all advertise being able to tow more than ever before. It's just a number. If a truck can tow 10,000, 10,100 is probably not going to cause a problem. Same with plows, if you exceed fagvwr by a small amount it won't immediately cause your front suspension to self-destruct. And if you are in an accident the plow weight would still have to be proven to be a factor. I bet 75% of the private plows I see aren't using any ballast at all, that is a lot worse on the frontend and the trucks handling than a slightly heavier plow. Average Joe doesn't know or care about ballast.
Since I keep seeing 810s on F350s with their notoriously weak front ends, I can't see why a 2500HD can't have one. Oh, and by the way you can have one. I checked power match too.
I run an 810 on my 06 DMax 2500HD extended cab short bed and do residentials with it.
the set up does a great job on all but the wrap around driveways. The 810 allows you to adapt better to the width of the drive so you dont scrape up grass on those long skinny ones. Also the 810 allows you to stick that wing out when going around the tight long turns and avoids your back tire from driving too far into the grass. The scoop function lets you grab that last bit of snow from the places that you would have to shovel by hand with a straight blade.
if only i could put an 810 on a jeep, that would be awesome.
I have thought long and hard about building my own plow truck, but then I remember we only get 3 storms per year and it would be a total waste of my time.
I wish I would have bought the 8611LP, and suggest looking at it, for the added size, there is very minimal difference in weight.
I don't think anything would work as well for my truck. I am 8 feet wide at the dually fenders, so an 8' would be useless, even an 8.5HD would only give me about 1 degree of turning before my tires were in the snow. I was looking at 9' straights but there are not many used ones for sale, I think because most of them are municipality or large contractors who run them into the ground, whereas the 8' MMs are everywhere for sale used. Anyway, even the 9 footer would have given me only six inches wider on each side, with my long wheelbase I could use that up pretty fast too, especially once I angle the blade. With the Blizzard I can extend it, angle it fully and still keep the dual wheels tucked in behind it. I have to turn pretty hard to get a tire in the snow.
I can't understand why people are still going out and buying 8 foot straight blades when the 810 does everything and more. If your truck will carry the weight, it's a no-brainer. I can buy a new 810 here cheaper than a 8 or 9 X-blade, and about the same as an 8 or 9 powder coated Fisher.
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